No tales from the crypt — yet

Recent rumors about “bodies buried under St. Brigid’s” Church on Avenue B haven’t unearthed anything so far. Advocates of saving the historic church built by Irish shipwrights were hoping the presence of buried bodies might throw a monkey wrench into development plans for the site — similar to how discovery of the African Burial Ground altered construction of a federal building near the courts. Carolyn Ratcliffe of E. Ninth St. is still working on it, though, and says she may have some news to report soon. She noted she is investigating whether three commemorative plaques on the building’s rear exterior hold any clues. The Catholic Archiocese recently closed St. Brigid’s Parish and the fate of the old church is uncertain. At one point plans were afoot to convert it into a Cabrini rehabilitation home, but this no longer seems likely, according to Joseph Zwilling, the Archdiocese’s spokesperson. Current speculation in the neighborhood is that the property will be sold to a private developer who will put up high-end housing.